SIKHS IN THE U.S. ARE ANGERED OVER GOLDEN TEMPLE ASSAULT

By MARVINE HOWE

Published: June 7, 1984

American Sikhs expressed anger today over the assault of the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar and indignation that Sikhs at the temple are being described as extremists and terrorists.

''These are highly painful events,'' said Ujagar Singh, a leader of the Sikhs in the New York-New Jersey area. ''India has a facade democracy. If each minority can't breathe freely, it's a tyranny of the majority.''

The president of the Sikh Cultural Society in New York, Tejindar Singh Kahlon, called the storming of the Golden Temple ''outrageous, immoral'' He said India's Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, was ''laying the foundation for a separate Sikh state.''

''Moderates have been pushed to the wall,'' Mr. Khalon, a lawyer, said. He said that before the attack moderates did not favor a separate state but that now ''they have no choice.''

Sikh political and religious leaders said they planned to meet in a Sikh temple in Flushing, Queens, as soon as possible to study their options. 'People Feel So Angry'

''We have received many angry calls from Sikhs in the area, asking us what are you going to do,'' said Mr. Singh, president of the New York-New Jersey branch of the North American Akali Dal, a sister organization of the main Sikh political party in India. ''People feel so angry that some are hitting the walls.''

''What the Sikhs want is more autonomy for the state of Punjab, where we are a majority, with our own language, free enterprise and use of our water resources,'' said Mr. Singh, who is director of social services in the Westchester Department of Hospitals. ''As a community, the Sikhs have felt discriminated against and feel the need for an environment where they can have their own life style.''

He said the Sikh leaders in the New York area, some 30 people, would see how they could show solidarity with Sikhs in Punjab, convey to the Indian Government their ''anger and frustration'' over the events at the Golden Temple and seek support and understanding of the United States public. 14 Million Sikhs

The Sikh religion has about 14 million followers, most of whom live in northern India, particularly in the state of Punjab, where they form a majority of the population, and the neighboring state of Haryana.

Sikhism was founded about 500 years ago by the first of 10 gurus, or religious teachers. It was a monotheistic creed, opposed to the Hindu caste system and stressing religious exercise and meditation. The last of the gurus, Gobind Singh, died in 1708 after creating a military order called the Khalsa, whose ideal was the soldier-saint. He also introduced the Sikh practice of carrying a dagger.

Sikh men follow the ancient practice of always wearing a turban and never cutting their hair or beards. There has been concern among Sikh leders about the possibility of assimilation based on historic, religious and social similarities between Sikhs and Hindus. They perceive a tendency among younger, more urbanized Sikhs to shun the Khalsa symbol of unshorn hair and move closer to Hinduism.

There are about 300,000 Sikhs in the New York area out of about half a million in the United States, and the number is said to be growing. There are three Sikh temples in New York City, a new one in Albany and another under construction in Paramus, N.J.

Many Sikhs in the United States support Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who led the resistance to the Indian troops, according to Dr. Gurcheran Singh, who is executive director of the Sikh Heritage Institute in New York City.

''We do not consider him an extremist,'' Dr. Singh said. ''He's just more outspoken than the others.''